


Cute Girls & Chemistry

by starlightwalking



Series: A-Spectrum Anthology [9]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Aromantic Asexual Fili, Aromantic Asexual Legolas, Bisexual Kíli, F/F, Panromantic Asexual Tauriel, fem!Kili
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-05-24 02:37:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6138460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightwalking/pseuds/starlightwalking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Fili drags his sister out of their home, Kili has no idea she's going to become re-acquainted and subsequently fall in love with the cute ginger in her chemistry class. Maybe getting out of the house does have its upsides, after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [etux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/etux/gifts).



> two major notes:  
> 1\. I am a highschooler and my knowledge of college is limited. In an attempt to not be inaccurate, I have instead become incredibly vague. Sorry.  
> 2\. I, like Fili and Legolas, am aroace and have no clue what romance really feels like. So disclaimer: if something about Kili and Tauriel's relationship seems weird, that's probably why.  
> With that aside, thanks for reading!!

"Kíli, it's been three days since you've left the apartment for anything other than school," Fíli proclaimed, standing in front of his sister and folding his arms. "You're coming with me to fencing practice."

Kíli scowled at her brother from her position on the couch. She closed her laptop, but raised one eyebrow. "Mm-hmm. Nope. No thanks. I'm good here."

"You need to get out of the house," Fíli said.

"I'm too gay for sports," Kíli complained. Technically, she was bisexual, but it was a favorite saying of hers.

"That's nonsense, Kíli, plenty of gay people play sports," Fíli pointed out. "Just look at Ori, he's on the fencing team, too."

"Yeah, but he's not coming tonight, is he?" Kíli grinned at her joke.

"That's because he's _sick_ ," Fíli said, exasperated. "Besides, you don't have to actually _practice_ with us, but at the very least come along and watch."

"I have to study," she said plaintively, gesturing to an unopened textbook that lay beside her on the couch.

"For what class?" Fíli asked.

"I have a quiz in chemistry tomorrow."

"Well, you just spent two hours on YouTube instead of studying," her brother countered. "And you can study at the gym. Just sit in the bleachers and plug some headphones in. But you need to get _out_ , even for just an hour or two. You can't stay cooped up inside here forever."

Kíli scowled, but she could see that Fíli wasn't going to back down anytime soon. " _Fine_ ," she hissed, opening her laptop again in order to turn it off. She pressed "shut down" viciously, then shoved the computer off her lap and onto the couch. She grabbed her book and glared at her brother. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

Kíli brought her book, but she made Fíli carry it into the gym. She _did_ have a quiz tomorrow, but she wasn't all too worried about it and probably wouldn't have studied if her brother hadn't dragged her along to the gym. Quizzes barely counted for any of her grade, and she felt confident in her knowledge of the material. Her chemistry teacher, Mr. Greyhame, might have something else to say about that, but Kíli was passing with a B-. That was good enough for her—she was only taking the class because it was required to graduate.

She wished she could have studied with her lab partner, Ori, but as Fíli had said, he was sick. Kíli climbed to halfway up the mostly empty bleachers of the gym, sat down, and opened her books to study.

Truth be told, not much studying got done. Kíli did read through her notes, and she attempted to reread the chapter, but she ended up skimming through most of it. She was soon distracted by her phone and the social media it contained.

Down below, Fíli and his little nerd-group of friends practiced their fencing. Kíli saw little point to the sport, but she saw little point to most sports. As she had said, she was too gay for sports, though admittedly that didn't stop Ori and the other people on the team who were equally not straight. The fencing team consisted of Fíli, the absent Ori, the brothers Boromir and Faramir, and the couple Aragorn and Arwen. Kíli was friends with Ori and was somewhat familiar with the brothers, but all she knew of Aragorn and Arwen was from what Fíli had told her.

In the opposite side of the gym, two other people sparred, flailing their thin, pointy swords at each other in earnest. Kíli was sure fencing was a beautiful sport to those who valued it, but to her it just looked like two people trying to poke each other with sticks.

Kíli couldn't see who the two other people were since they were wearing suits and helmets, and she had no idea if she knew them. One of them had long, vaguely familiar red hair flowing out from beneath her helmet, but the other one was completely unrecognizable. The fencers looked almost like aliens in that silly getup. Kíli snorted at the idea.

She made another half-hearted attempt at studying, then gave in to the temptations of tumblr and Neko Atsume. After what seemed like forever, Fíli called up to her to say it was time to go. Kíli gleefully gathered up her books and ran down the bleachers while the fencing club put away their gear. She could finally go back home!

"You should join us sometime, Kíli," Boromir told her enthusiastically. The senior's face was lit with a wide grin. "You don't have to sit in the bleachers all the time, you know."

"Yeah, it would be nice having another girl on the team," Arwen added.

"I wouldn't know where to start," Kíli demurred, readjusting her grip on her books.

"You could learn," a new voice said behind her. Kíli turned around to see the fencer with the long red hair. Now, with her helmet off, she recognized her—it was Tauriel Gaelen, a girl in her chemistry class. Kíli had rarely spoken with her, but she had always thought her cute.

Now, as Kíli looked at her, she changed her mind. Tauriel was _beautiful_. As she smiled at her with white teeth and sparkling green eyes, cheeks flushed pink after a workout, and strands of vibrant red hair dangling in front of her face, only one thought ran through Kíli's mind: _Shit, she's hot_.

"Oh—um, I—I don't know," she stammered, staring up at the taller girl, trying not to make her spontaneous attraction obvious. "I don't think I'd be any good."

"Well, you won't with that attitude," Tauriel pointed out. "You ought to give it a try. We could all help." She frowned at her, and Kíli's heart fluttered. Fuck. She didn't need a new crush, not now. This would get her nowhere.

"It's Kíli, right?" Tauriel asked.

"Yeah," Kíli agreed, perhaps a little too quickly. "Kíli Durin."

"I'm Tauriel Gaelen," she said, sticking out a hand. Kíli reached forward one of her own to shake, frantically shuffling her books to her other arm. They shook, and Kíli felt giddy.

"Yeah, I know," she said, nodding. Tauriel let go, and Kíli drew back her hand to save her books from falling. Her palm was tingling where she had touched it. "You're in my chemistry class."

"Oh, yeah!" Tauriel nodded. "Are you ready for the quiz tomorrow?"

Kíli showed her the textbook she carried. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Tauriel laughed, and Kíli's brain short-circuited. Why was anyone allowed to be that cute? It just wasn't _fair_.

"Hey Tauriel, we've got to go," Tauriel's fencing partner called. Now that he was dressed normally, Kíli could see that he was a tall blonde guy. He was mildly attractive, and definitely pretty in an aesthetic way, but he was nothing compared to Tauriel.

"Just a minute, Legolas," Tauriel called back to him. She smiled at Kíli. "I'm sure these other guys could teach you how to fence, Kíli. It's fun. Maybe we could spar sometime."

Kíli almost blurted out _Nah, I'm too gay for this_ , but she caught herself at the last moment. It would be too blatantly an attempt at flirting, and what if Tauriel didn't like her? Better not to risk it.

"Oh, sure," she said evasively. "Maybe I'll give it a try."

"Tauriel," Legolas said again.

"Bye, Kíli," Tauriel said. "I'll see you tomorrow in class. Good luck on the quiz!"

"You too," Kíli said. Tauriel turned and walked away, chatting with her friend.

By that time, the whole fencing team had left except for Fíli, who stood watching her stare after Tauriel with one raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face.

"Having fun with Miss Gaelen?" he asked.

Kíli glared at him. "Oh, shut up."

* * *

It was a short car ride back to their apartment, during which Kíli tried to make sense of the new emotions running through her mind. Fíli played the radio, loudly singing along to his favorite song, so Kíli didn't have the opportunity to discuss her new crush with him until they got home.

As soon as Fíli unlocked their door to the apartment, Kíli rushed inside and threw her books down on the floor. She flopped down on the couch, her head in her hands, bemoaning her fate.

"You okay, Kí?" Fíli asked in concern.

"Am I _okay_?" Kíli laughed hollowly. "No I'm not fucking okay, I have a _crush_ on _Tauriel_. The super hot girl in my chemistry class. Who also happens to be a super hot fencer who also happens to be way out of my league."

Fíli came over to the couch and patted her arm awkwardly. "Sorry?" he offered hesitantly. "I mean like, I'm aro, so it's not like I can relate, but...you wanna talk about it?"

Kíli sat up. "She's so hot. And cute. Both at once. And she's _nice_ , she offered to help me learn to fence, even though I've got you guys!"

"She's in your chemistry class, right?" Fíli asked.

"Yeah." Kíli groaned. "I'm going to have to see her tomorrow in class, shit, what'll I say?"

"If you like her and want to get to know her better, why don't you just...ask her out?" Fíli suggested.

Kíli looked at him like he was crazy. "No way! I'm not embarrassing myself like that. Besides, what if she doesn't like me? What if..." Her eyes widened. "What if she's _straight_?"

Fíli shook his head. "I don't think she is. I've seen her at LGBT Alliance meetings before, and not many straight people show up there."

"She could be, like, ace or aro or something," Kíli said.

"That doesn't rule out the possibility that she could also like girls," Fíli pointed out. "Anyway, I don't think she's aro. I'm pretty sure that I know all four of the other aro people on campus." He laughed sarcastically. "Besides, this isn't something we really ought to sit here wondering about. If you want to know if she likes girls, just ask her."

"Is she dating that Legolas guy?" Kíli asked, her eyes widening. She was pretty sure that Legolas was in her art class, but she'd never really talked to him aside from "hey, can you pass me that brush?"

"No," Fíli said. "C'mon, Kíli, you know better than to assume every girl and guy you see together are dating."

"I just want to know if she's available!" Kíli protested.

"No, they're not dating. Legolas is one of those four other aro people I mentioned."

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Kíli, if you'd show up at just _one_ LGBT Alliance meeting, you'd learn a lot about the people on campus," Fíli said. "You're welcome, you know—you are bi."

"Yeah, yeah," Kíli said, waving her hand. "I already accompanied you to your nerdy fencing practice, and look what came of that."

"Alright, if you won't ask her out, just talk to her," Fíli said. "You have a class with her—it shouldn't be that hard."

"You don't understand, you don't _get_ crushes," Kíli said. She shook her head.

Fíli spread his hands helplessly. "Well, yeah. I'm just trying to help you out."

Kíli was suddenly overcome with a rush of fondness for her brother. "Thanks, Fí. That means a lot. I know you don't really understand this stuff."

"Hey, family's important," Fíli said. "I love you, sis."

"Love ya too, bro." Kíli smiled at him affectionately. Then she took a deep breath, trying to force all thoughts of Tauriel from her mind. "Alright. This bisexual mess needs a nap. See you later, Fíli."

"This aroace mess hopes you sleep well," Fíli said in amusement. "I'll wake you for dinner."

"You're the best older brother ever, you know that, Fíli?" Kíli said, patting him on the shoulder as she got up.

"I do." He smirked. "It helps that I'm your only older brother."

"Oh, shut up," Kíli said through a yawn as she made her way toward her bed. "I was being sincere."

"So was I!"

"I'm too tired for this!" she proclaimed, flinging her hands in the air. "Goodnight!"

"It's the middle of the afternoon," Fíli called over to her.

Kíli rolled her eyes as she flopped into her bed. Even if having a super hot, super nice crush was a bit rough, she was glad to have Fíli around.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking a million years to update, but here's chapter two!!

"What?" Tauriel said, staring at Legolas. "You want me to do what?"

Legolas sighed and rolled his eyes. "I don't 'want you' to do anything. I'm _asking_ you if you want to help me out in my art class."

"By being a live model?" she said incredulously.

He shrugged. "Yes! We need as many people as we can get. It will be just for one day, it's only an exercise, not like a big project."

"Why do you want _me_?" Tauriel demanded.

"You're my friend," Legolas said. "I figured you'd say yes. It's not like you have to get naked or anything, Tauriel. Just pose for me and maybe one or two other people depending on how many models we can get."

Tauriel shook her head. "What do I get out of it?"

"My eternal friendship?" Legolas offered.

Tauriel snorted. "I thought I had that already."

"Alright, I'll make you those brownies you really like," Legolas said.

Tauriel tapped her chin. "Hmm, now I'm considering it."

" _And_ I'll clean the bathroom for you this week," he added.

Tauriel smiled. "That's more like it. Fine, I'll do it."

* * *

There turned out to be about a two to one ratio of art students to live models. Tauriel grimaced as she took a pose, wishing she had refused Legolas. The thought of those brownies was the only thing that kept her going through a full hour of sitting still.

Legolas looked at her critically, then began to draw. Tauriel would have felt weird about him staring at her if she didn't know he was aroace and didn't have any off-color intentions. Plus, they had grown up together and were so close she was very comfortable with him. She herself was also ace, though panro and not aro, and generally tried to discourage such things concerning herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tauriel saw the door of the art room burst open. Through it ran Kíli, the cute girl in Tauriel's chemistry class who she'd run into at the gym a couple days before. Kíli looked fairly distressed to be late, her arms full of papers that flew everywhere in her haste to enter the room. With her hair up in a ponytail, Tauriel thought she was very pretty—aesthetically speaking, of course.

"Sorry I'm late, Ally!" Kíli said, scrambling to pick up her papers as she addressed the art teacher. "I—uh—slept in."

Ally, a tall blonde woman whose full name was Alatáriel Lórien, only waved her hand. "It's alright, Kíli. Find someone to draw. I'm afraid you'll have to double up."

"Thanks, Ally," Kíli said. She glanced around the room, looking around for a space that wasn't so crowded. She glanced at Tauriel for a moment, but quickly looked away. Tauriel frowned in concern.

"Legolas," she said, "you should invite Kíli to come over and draw me. You're the only other person here, there's room for her, too."

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "Why me?"

Tauriel sighed. "Just do it. You know her better than I do, I only met her a couple days ago."

"It's not like I know her very well," Legolas shot back, but he turned around and waved her over. "Kíli!" he called. "You can come over here if you'd like!"

Kíli glanced back over to Legolas, her eyes wide. "Oh, no, I—"

"Come on," Tauriel urged. She smiled at the other girl. "I won't bite."

Kíli blushed, but she shrugged and walked over. She pulled out her sketchbook and some pencils, then looked up at Tauriel, who sat as still as she could manage.

"So, it's nice seeing you again," Tauriel mumbled through a frozen smile.

Kíli, who had been staring at her for longer than a person normally would, blinked. Then she laughed nervously, glancing away. "Oh, yeah," she said. "How did you do on that quiz, huh?"

"I got an A-," Tauriel admitted. "Not my best score, but good enough. You?"

"B+," Kíli responded. She smiled up at her with a bit of a silly grin. Tauriel met her gaze for longer than a few seconds and felt her heartbeat quicken. Kíli was really, really cute.

Kíli finally started drawing. Legolas had been working silently throughout the whole exchange, absorbed in his work.

"Have you met Legolas?" Tauriel asked.

Kíli glanced over to Tauriel's roommate and brother. Legolas waved in greeting. "Hi," he said.

"Hey," Kíli said. "Yeah, I have, but we've never really talked."

Tauriel nodded, absently running a hand through her hair.

"Tauriel, stop moving," Legolas complained. "You're messing me up!"

"I needed to scratch an itch," Tauriel said, defensively and falsely.

Kíli mumbled something under her breath. "What?" Tauriel said.

"Oh—nothing," Kíli responded quickly, staring down at her sketchbook.

When she finally looked back up, Tauriel noticed that she looked at her with a strange sort of wonder, then glanced away as if embarrassed. Tauriel suddenly felt very self-conscious. Was she...checking her out? Tauriel had no idea if Kíli was gay or not, but the thought that she might view her in a sexual light made her want to cringe a little. Kíli was showing many signs of being attracted to her.

_I'm too ace for this,_ she thought. But she did like Kíli, for all they had just met a few days ago. While Tauriel was thinking, Kíli had continued to draw a picture of her. She was really quite good. The drawing was very realistic even in Kíli's light strokes, and she could see that with time, it would look even better. She glanced over to Legolas's picture of her. It focused mostly on her face, where Kíli had decided to draw her whole body.

"So, uh," Kíli said as she drew, "how long have you two known each other?"

"Since we were little," Legolas answered. "Tauriel's my sister."

Kíli nodded, glancing between them. "I'm afraid I don't see the family resemblance." They were both tall, but otherwise they looked nothing alike. They got that a lot from people who weren't familiar with the situation.

"Adoptive sister," Tauriel explained. "Our father took me in when I was two. But we're siblings. And roommates, too."

"Neat," Kíli said. "I'm roommates with my brother, too. Do you know him? Fíli Durin?"

Tauriel nodded. "I've met him a couple times, yeah. We fence in the same gym, as you know."

"And he goes to the LGBT Alliance meetings all the time," Legolas added. "I've seen him there."

"He mentioned," Kíli said smiling. "Fíli is always trying to get me to come. He mentioned you two the other day." She glanced back up at Tauriel who stared down at her thoughtfully.

"Yeah, we don't usually get a lot of stuff done there, but it's nice to hang out with people who aren't straight," Tauriel said, nodding.

"I'm bi," Kíli said. Tauriel smiled. So she did like girls—which meant she probably _had_ been checking her out earlier. And at the gym the other day, too. Huh.

"I'm ace," Tauriel said. "And panromantic." Kíli did not miss that comment. She glanced up at her, eyes wide, then quickly looked away.

"And I bet Fíli's already mentioned that I'm aroace," Legolas continued, oblivious of the tension between Kíli and Tauriel. "I know him kinda well. We're the only aro people who regularly show up to the LGBT Alliance meetings, so we kinda stick together."

"Why don't you come?" Tauriel asked.

Kíli shrugged. "I'm lazy, for one, and I'm not the most social person around."

"You don't seem unsociable to me," Tauriel said in faint surprise.

Kíli only laughed. "You haven't seen me in a crowd. I'm so small I get lost easily—plus I'm bad at talking with strangers. I'm sure you noticed at the gym."

"You were fine," Tauriel insisted. "You were great." Belatedly, she realized that she might have strayed into the realm of flirting. Well, maybe that wasn't all that bad. She did really like Kíli, and she thought Kíli might like her back as well.

"It's just best I stay inside where it's safe," Kíli joked. "I only come outside for classes."

Legolas snorted. "Yeah, right."

Kíli only winked at him, and Tauriel broke from her stillness to laugh. She really liked this girl.

"Come on, Tauriel, you're a model," Legolas reproached her. "You can't move everytime she does something mildly amusing! Do you want those brownies or not?"

Tauriel rolled her eyes, but she readjusted and froze back in place as best she could.

When the class was over, Tauriel stretched gratefully, glad to be able to move again. Her brownies from Legolas were guaranteed. She helped Legolas and Kíli gather up their things.

"Thank you for modeling for us, dear," Ally said as Tauriel was about to leave. "It really helps us out."

"Oh, you're welcome," Tauriel responded. "It's no big deal."

"It was nice to talk to you again," Kíli said at the doorway. She stuck out her hand, and Tauriel shook it.

"Yeah," she agreed. "See you in chemistry."

"Yeah," Kíli agreed. "See you."

Tauriel watched her go, her hand tingling from the memory of the shake. Legolas gave her an odd look. "Are you coming?" he asked.

She shook her head to clear it. "Yeah," she said. She took one last look at the hallway Kíli had turned down, then followed Legolas away from the art room.

* * *

When chemistry finally rolled around, Tauriel was oddly excited to go to class. She and Kíli didn't sit anywhere near each other, but she thought that maybe she could talk to her after class ended, or before it started.

As luck would have it, Mr. Greyhame, their chemistry teacher, informed the class that they were doing a lab today. Tauriel frowned. Her lab partner, Éowyn, was out of town for the week, which left her alone for this lab.

"Mr. Greyhame," Tauriel called out as the rest of the class exited the classroom.

"Yes, Ms. Gaelen?" he asked.

"My lab partner is gone," she explained.

Greyhame frowned, furrowing his bushy grey eyebrows. "Ms. Durin seems to also be without a partner."

Kíli, who had been hanging out at the back of the horde of students, waved to her as she looked over. Tauriel's heart skipped a beat. She was glad to have another chance to talk to Kíli.

"Okay, thanks, sir," Tauriel said to Greyhame. She smiled to Kíli.

Greyhame grunted. "Alright, get moving. You've got a lab to do."

"So, we're lab partners now, huh?" Kíli said as Tauriel caught up to her.

"Not for long," Tauriel said, shrugging. "Éowyn, my usual lab partner, she's out of town."

"My friend Ori, he's still sick," Kíli explained. She winked at Tauriel. "Though maybe it's a good thing, if I get to hang out with you." Immediately after saying that, she blushed furiously, looking away. Tauriel only laughed.

"Sorry—that was probably overstepping my bounds a bit," Kíli apologized. By now they had reached the lab. Greyhame shouted instructions to the class, and Tauriel began to put things in order at their station.

"No, it's fine," Tauriel said. "That was nice of you to say, though I doubt your friend would appreciate it."

"Nah, Ori wouldn't care," Kíli said breezily. "He'd know I was joking." She squinted up to the board. "I should really get my eyes checked one of these days, I can barely read that. What's the first step?"

"Pass me that beaker," Tauriel instructed. Then she began to explain.

The lab itself was fairly routine. They were pretty good lab partners, Tauriel thought. They shared the work pretty evenly. Kíli recorded data and passed her things. Tauriel conducted most of the actual experiment, though Kíli definitely helped out.

At the end of the lab, Kíli groaned as Greyhame shouted out that the lab report was due tomorrow. "I don't have the time!" she complained.

"It shouldn't take that long. I can help you if you want me to," Tauriel offered.

Kíli shook her head. "Nah, I can do it, I was mostly joking. I just don't _want_ to, y'know?"

"I can relate," Tauriel agreed. "Homework is no fun."

"Well, we didn't die," Kíli joked as they cleaned up their station. "With all the fire involved, I'm actually surprised."

Tauriel motioned for her to pass her the last beaker they needed to put away. Kíli handed it to her, and Tauriel caught her eye as their hands brushed. Kíli stared at her for a few moments, her brown eyes wide. Then Tauriel turned away, putting the beaker into the sink where it belonged. Her heart beat a little faster.

When she turned back to Kíli, the other girl was staring intently at her lab paper. Tauriel coughed. To break the tension, she said, "We make a good team, then, if we didn't die." She smiled at Kíli. For all her bluster, Kíli seemed sincere and kind. Tauriel really did like her.

Kíli looked up at her, a smirk playing on her lips. Tauriel was suddenly seized with the thought of how those lips would feel pressed against her own. She shoved the thought away immediately. She didn't have time to entertain such delusions.

"I guess you could say that we..." Kíli paused. Tauriel could sense a pun was coming, something so cute it would put her over the edge and definitely into the danger zone of developing a real crush. "...have _chemistry_ together, huh?" Kíli concluded.

Tauriel managed to keep a straight face, though on the inside she felt very gay. She couldn't believe Kíli had actually said that. Kíli grinned, pleased with her pun, though she blushed a little bit. _I'm too easily impressed,_ she thought woefully. Kíli's flirting tactics were cute and cheesy, and Tauriel was a sucker for cute and cheesy.

Kíli was still waiting for a response. Tauriel gave her a long look, then looked her right in the eye and winked slowly, deliberately, and outrageously.

Kíli lost it. She laughed loudly, causing everyone else in the lab to look over at them. Tauriel joined in, and she felt a warm, all too familiar feeling spreading throughout her chest.

Well, shit. It looked like this crush was genuine.

* * *

When Legolas came home that night, Tauriel was staring at her half-finished lab report, distracted by thoughts of Kíli. She was so cute, and nice, and funny...Tauriel knew lots of people like that, but somehow she'd developed romantic affections for this girl. It had been awhile since her last crush, and she was worried how this one would change things up in her life.

After Legolas settled in, he noticed Tauriel staring off into the distance thoughtfully.

"What's up?" he asked, sitting down beside her. He looked up at the paper before her and raised an eyebrows. "Thinking about chemistry?"

Tauriel sighed. "Yes—but the romantic kind."

Legolas pulled a face. "Ew," he joked. "What happened?"

As he was aro, Tauriel hadn't planned on bothering him with her crush. But since he was asking, she might as well fill him in.

"It's Kíli," she admitted.

Legolas frowned. "The girl in my art class?"

"Yeah," Tauriel said. "We have chemistry together—both the class and the other kind, apparently. I really like her." She sighed. "I wish she'd showed up to the LGBT Alliance meetings, or if she was interested in fencing like her brother is. That way maybe I would have met her sooner!"

"And you'd have some more shared interests," Legolas agreed. He paused. "You know, I never would have guessed, honestly."

"You're so oblivious." Tauriel laughed.

"I _am_ aro," he reminded her. "I'm not very good at catching these things."

"True," Tauriel agreed. "Thanks for putting up with all this."

Legolas smiled. "Nah, it's fine. So...does she like you back? She did say she was bi."

"I'm not sure," Tauriel admitted. "She was acting sort of like it, but who knows how she _really_ feels."

"Well, just ask her out, then," Legolas suggested.

Tauriel looked at him like he had just proposed that she walk around campus naked. "Are you kidding me?" she demanded. "No way! I have to make sure this crush thing is for reals. Plus, what if she says no?"

Legolas laughed. "Okay, then don't. I mean, good luck with Kíli and all—just don't third wheel me, okay?"

"When have I ever?" Tauriel said. "You're my brother, you'll always be one of the most important people in my life." She leaned over to hug him.

"That's a relief," Legolas said, patting her on the back.

"Alright." Tauriel let go, sighing. "I guess I'd better finish this lab, then."

"You do that," Legolas said, standing up. "I'm going to clean the bathroom, since I did promise you I would. Good luck on your lab—and with your crush."

Tauriel picked up her pen and started to write. "Thanks. I'm gonna need it."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the final chapter! Thank you to everyone who read, and don't be afraid to drop a comment!!

"Kíli, I've tried to be patient with you, but this is getting ridiculous," Fíli informed his sister. "You need to chill. Like yes, I don't understand what this is like for you, but bemoaning your fate 24/7 instead of doing your homework isn't going to fly in this household."

Kíli, who had been lying upside down on their couch, her textbook lying open and unread on the floor, pulled a face. "I can't help it," she complained.

"Kíli, I love you, you know that," Fíli said tiredly, "but at the very least can you _please_ talk about something _other_ than your crush?"

Kíli stared at her brother for a moment, then glanced away, seemingly realizing he was genuinely irritated. "Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's fine," Fíli said, shaking his head. "I mean... Like, really. I know this is a big part of your life right now, but can we talk about something else? My life, maybe?"

"Yeah, of course," Kíli agreed. "I really am sorry—I just, you're right, it is a big part of my life right now. But yeah, I can."

"How is your art class?" Fíli asked. His sister had told him about how Tauriel had come in to be a live model and that she had also been her substitute lab partner in their chemistry class. Fíli really didn't understand why Kíli wouldn't just ask Tauriel out—it would solve all her problems. By now they knew that Tauriel was attracted to girls, and that she probably also liked Kíli. But whatever—it was Kíli's life, not his.

"Oh, fine," Kíli said vaguely. "Uh, I talk to Legolas sometimes now. He seems pretty cool."

"Yeah, he's great," Fíli agreed. Legolas was one of the few people Fíli could relate to. He'd mentioned a couple times how irritating dealing with friends in love could be, and Fíli couldn't agree more. He loved his sister, he really did, but...romance just wasn't his area of expertise. There wasn't much he could do to make Kíli feel better.

"I think he knows I like Tauriel," Kíli said. "Oh—sorry. We're not talking about that right now."

"Why won't you just ask her out?" Fíli sighed. "Just get it over with! I'm sure she likes you. Then I won't have to deal with all this complaining."

Kíli blushed. "I—Fili—" she stammered.

"Or at the very least do something to distract yourself," he pressed.

Kíli grimaced. "Fine," she conceded. "I'll try."

* * *

Fíli slid into the booth at the coffee shop, raising an eyebrow at the man sitting across from him. Legolas nodded in greeting, then took a sip from his coffee.

"So what is all this about?" Fíli asked. "Seeing as we're both aro I doubt it's a date, but this is an unusual circumstance."

Legolas snorted. "Well, you're right about it not being a date. Anyway, this is about two people we're rather close to, respectively."

"Kíli and Tauriel?" Fíli guessed.

Legolas nodded. "Tauriel isn't usually this unbearable about her crushes, but recently..." He pulled a face. "I'm kind of oblivious to that sort of thing, but the way she talks about your sister...I mean, she's very sensible when she's in relationships. She can talk to her partner about romantic things and leave me be. But with crushes..."

"I know how you feel," Fíli agreed. "Kíli would be so much better off if she would just ask Tauriel out!"

"It's so obvious they like each other," Legolas said, shaking his head. "Even I can see it."

"We should do something about it," Fíli suggested. "Set them up on a blind date or something like that."

Legolas nodded. "Yeah. Usually I wouldn't do something like this, but they clearly like each other and if they'll consent to the blind date..."

"Exactly." Fíli smirked. "Kíli will hate me for this at first, but she'll be grateful in the end. I will be, too, if it gets her to shut up about how beautiful Tauriel's eyes are. She can tell Tauriel instead of me."

Legolas laughed. "Alright. I'll call you when I get Tauriel's permission, then. Convincing her will take a bit of work, but she won't turn down my brownies."

"I wouldn't, either," Fíli agreed. "You make wonderful brownies."

"Thanks. I put all my passion into cooking instead of romance." He delivered the joke deadpan, but broke into a grin when Fíli burst into laughter.

"Alright, Legolas," he said after his amusement subsided. "I'll see you around."

* * *

Kíli had _not_ wanted to agree to this. A blind date? No thanks. She didn't want some creepy stranger hitting on her. And besides, what if Tauriel found out and thought she wasn't interested in her? Not that she thought anything else, the way Kíli had been awkwardly avoiding her.

But Fíli had been very insistent. "Just to get your mind off Tauriel, so you won't be bothering me, about her so often," he'd urged. Kíli was _trying_ not to talk _only_ about Tauriel, but apparently Fíli was still annoyed. She had agreed because her brother was right—thinking about people other than Tauriel would be good for her. Besides, it was only one date. It's not like it would lead to anything, most likely.

"And I'll be sitting out in the car just in case," Fíli added. "You'll be fine, sis."

The day of the date, Kíli was inexplicably nervous. She dithered over what dress to wear and looked up Yelp reviews of the restaurant on six different occasions.

"I've never been on a blind date before. I don't know what to expect," Kíli confessed as her brother drove her to the restaurant that evening.

"Well, it's not like I know what to expect, either," Fíli pointed out. "You'll be fine."

Kíli only sighed.

When they pulled up to the restaurant, Fíli parked and pulled out a book to read. "Good luck," he told her. "I'm sure your date will be nice."

"How would you know?" Kíli asked as she got out of the car.

"She's a mutual friend," Fíli replied, smirking.

"She?" Kíli asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Fíli agreed. "Come on, sis. I bet she's waiting."

Kíli closed the car door and walked up to the restaurant, buzzing with nerves. Apparently, Fíli knew more about her date than he'd previously let on.

"Hello, ma'am," an employee greeted her. "Do you have a reservation?'

"Uh..." Kíli wasn't sure. "I have a blind date," she offered.

The employee frowned. "Can I have a last name?"

"Durin," Kíli said.

The employee found her name on the list and nodded. "Right this way, Ms. Kíli."

She was soon seated. Fíli had been wrong—her date wasn't here yet. Kíli was the one waiting. She fiddled with her silverware while she waited for the mysterious lady to arrive.

When she finally did (well, really only a few minutes later), Kíli couldn't believe her eyes.

"Tauriel?" she stammered, trying and failing not to blush. "I—Fili said—"

Tauriel stared at her, wide eyed, as she took her seat across from Kíli. "Kíli?" she said incredulously. "I wasn't expecting _you_!"

Kíli laughed nervously. "I guess Fíli was lying when he said this was to get my mind off you!"

"Legolas knew all along," Tauriel griped. "So much for 'helping a mutual friend'—this was to set me up with you!"

Kíli laughed, staring at her. She was beautiful in a dark green dress and gold jewelry, her long hair tied up in a braid. Kíli herself wore her curly hair loose about her shoulders, and her dress, though nice, felt shabby in comparison to Tauriel's.

Suddenly she realized what the implications of what Tauriel had said were. "Legolas and Fíli...set us up?" she exclaimed. "That is _not_ something they would usually do."

"I guess Legolas was sick of hearing about how beautiful and funny you are," Tauriel said sheepishly, not quite meeting Kíli's eyes.

Kíli choked on air. "What?" she squeaked out.

"I think you're simply wonderful," Tauriel admitted, a blush creeping up her cheeks. (Though in comparison to Kíli's current tomato-colored complexion, she didn't look that red.)

"Well...umm..." Kíli mumbled.

"I'm sorry if that's too forward—this is our first date—" Tauriel apologized quickly. "And we don't know each other that well and—"

"Oh, no, it's fine!" Kíli said. "I mean, when I said I thought this date was to get my mind off you—I kind of meant the same thing. I've liked you since that day at the gym, Tauriel." She grinned, full of adrenaline. "Fíli was sick of me never shutting up about you, too! I bet that's why they conspired together about this."

Tauriel beamed. "Well, I'm glad the feeling is mutual," she said. "You'd dropped hints, but I wasn't sure if it was just casual flirting."

"I can't help it," Kíli sighed, shaking her head. "Whenever I'm around someone I like I just say whatever silly thing comes to mind. That chemistry joke I made when Ori was gone that day? I kicked myself mentally as soon as it left my mouth. I'm ridiculous."

"I'm a sucker for puns," Tauriel admitted. "It's kind of pathetic. I loved it."

Kíli laughed. "Well, uh," she said. "I guess I'm right up your alley, huh?"

Tauriel smiled, and Kíli's heart did a backflip. "Yeah," Tauriel said softly. "I really like you. I guess Legolas and Fíli's plot was a success?" She asked it like a question, like she wasn't quite sure.

"If I like you and you like me and the goal was for us to admit, then...yeah," Kíli said. She had not pictured this date turning out this way.

"Do you want to...talk about it further?" Tauriel asked hesitantly.

Kíli nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a waiter approaching. "Maybe we should order something, though," she said.

"Food first, feelings later," Tauriel agreed. "I'm hungry."

* * *

Legolas sat at home watching Netflix alone while Tauriel was on her date with Kíli. _And they say aro and ace people must get so much more done when not thinking about romance and sex,_ he thought sarcastically. That was him: Legolas Greenleaf, defying stereotypes and wasting time since the 1990s.

The door opened. Tauriel walked through it, smiling like she was lost in a pleasant dream. Legolas paused his show and smirked at her. "So?" he prompted.

Tauriel set down her purse and walked over to him. She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"You knew," she accused him.

He shrugged. "Yeah. That was kind of the point. But you did agree to it. I never mentioned Kíli being there. For you, it _was_ a blind date."

Tauriel shook her head. "You're so..."

"Clever?" he offered.

She laughed, her facade of disgust dissipating. "Well, I guess."

"So, how _was_ it?" Legolas prompted. "Did our plan work?"

"If your goal was to get us to admit our feelings for each other and exchange numbers, then...yeah," Tauriel said. "We're going to talk, get to know each other...then, well, if it all works out we'll try out a relationship. Maybe. I haven't actually mentioned that to her yet. But I think she's thinking along those lines as well."

Legolas nodded. "My work here is done," he proclaimed. "You can deal with the rest of the romantic shit."

Tauriel laughed fondly, patting him on the shoulder. "Alright, Legolas. Don't get too smug."

"Mmm." Legolas unpaused Netflix and returned to not doing his homework. "Well, good luck, sis."

"Do your homework," she said, prodding an unopened notebook beside him. "You're just as bad as Kíli, I swear, she spent a solid ten minutes tonight just telling me about all the assignments she's behind on."

"One more episode," Legolas bargained. "Then I will."

"That means nothing, you know," Tauriel pointed out, but she dropped the matter all the same.

* * *

"And it's a close one," Kíli shouted. "There goes Fíli, closing in for the kill, and he strikes!—Ohh, but he's not fast enough, and Tauriel swoops aaand—he's out! The crowd goes wild!"

Tauriel grinned beneath her helmet, stepping back and removing the point of her sword from Fíli's chest. Fíli bowed to her graciously in defeat, and Tauriel snorted. She removed her helmet and grinned, turning to face the stands, which were empty, save for her distracted brother and her girlfriend. Kíli clapped and cheered for her, standing up from her seat.

"Go get 'em, babe!" she called out.

Tauriel laughed, bowing floridly and blowing kisses to a (mostly) imaginary crowd. She and Fíli were just sparring for fun, but ever since Kíli had taken to accompanying her brother to the gym, it had become a friendly contest that Kíli loved to commentate.

"I'd like to thank all the cute girls in the stands for their support," she said, flipping her hair in mock vanity. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Kíli gasped, feigning a blush. "Do you think she was looking at me?" she exclaimed, clinging to Legolas's arm.

Tauriel's brother looked up from his phone with an unamused expression. "Well I sure hope she wasn't looking at _me_ ," he said drily.

Fíli burst into laughter beside Tauriel. He turned to her and offered a hand. "Good match," he said as they shook.

"It's always fun sparring with you," Tauriel agreed. "I grew up with Legolas, so he can be predictable."

"I'm sure if you keep dating my sister, my moves will get predictable too," Fíli said. He moved to go to the locker room while Tauriel smiled, glad to have a friend in Kíli's brother.

Legolas, who had lost to Fíli in an earlier round and had decided to take a break, had already changed back into normal clothes. "I'll wait for you in the car, Tauriel," he told her. "Get changed."

Kíli decided to follow her into the women's locker room. There wasn't anyone else in there, so Tauriel felt comfortable stripping in front of her girlfriend. They had talked about boundaries at the very start of their relationship several months ago and Kíli was well aware that sex was unlikely to be a part of their relationship, but other kinds of intimacy were nice for both of them.

"You're so hot," Kíli said as Tauriel slipped a new shirt on.

"Tell me something I don't know," she teased.

"Okay," Kíli said thoughtfully. "You're the best girlfriend in the whole world."

Tauriel finished putting her clothes away, but she didn't pick up her bag quite yet. Instead she turned around and smirked, leaning down to be closer to Kíli's height.

"No," she said, "that can't be true, because _you're_ the best girlfriend in the whole word."

Kíli was still grinning when their lips met for a kiss.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Kíli? You in here?" Fíli called, his voice muffled from the distance.

Kíli broke away from her, calling back, "Yeah, I'm coming!"

"'Kay, good, because Legolas has brownies out in his car, and I'm gonna go get some," Fíli told them.

"Brownies? Mmm," Kíli said. She grabbed Tauriel's hand and led her toward the door. "I can't pass those up."

"Absolutely," Tauriel agreed. Legolas's brownies were some of the best things on this good green earth. He advertised them as "better than romance", which was a fair statement, even though Tauriel herself valued romance just as well. Her life was better off with both. Each to their own—she didn't begrudge her brother's differences. Romance wasn't for everyone, and he made _excellent_ brownies.

Legolas was driving all four of them home when Tauriel had a sudden realization.

"Kíli," she said in mounting horror, "was that lab write-up for Chemistry due _tomorrow_?"

Kíli's eyes widened. She swallowed a mouth full of brownie and looked up at Tauriel with despair. "Yeah," she confirmed.

"I haven't even _started_ ," Tauriel said mournfully. She shook her head. "What was I _thinking_?"

"Hey, we can do it together," Kíli offered. "I haven't started it yet, either."

"You two need to get your priorities straight," Fíli said from the passenger seat, chuckling.

"How can I get my priorities straight when _I'm_ not straight, huh?" Kíli shot back.

Legolas laughed. "She got you there," he told Fíli.

"Alright," Fíli conceded, "but at least I don't have any unfinished assignments. Well, not ones that are due tomorrow."

"Oh, shut up," Tauriel said. Her mind raced, thinking of all she had to do to get caught up.

"Hey babe, don't stress," Kíli said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Her breath smelled like brownies. "Remember that lab we did together way back when? We make a great team. We'll get it done in no time."

"So long as you don't get distracted by chemistry puns," Tauriel teased. She swore she heard Fíli snort in laughter.

"I can't help it, it's my weakness," Kíli said dramatically.

Tauriel laughed, full of love for this wonderful girl. "Okay, Miss 'We Have Chemistry Together'."

"That was a good one!" Kíli protested, even as Legolas and Fíli laughed.

"And you wonder why I fell in love with you," Tauriel murmured, leaning down for a kiss.

"Get a room," Legolas called back even as Fíli mimed retching.

"This is your car, drive faster then," Tauriel shot back.

"Okay, okay," he grumbled.

Kíli grinned, twining her fingers through Tauriel's own. "I'm glad my puns came in handy at least once."

"More than once," Tauriel assured her. "Now how about we talk about doing that lab?"


End file.
